For the fourth consecutive year, HealthPartners was named the top health plan in Minnesota by eValue8 – and one of the top plans in the country!

Developed by the National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH), eValue8 is the leading health plan evaluation tool that assesses health plans based on the purchasing criteria of national employers. Each year health plans nationwide are invited to participate in a request for information with new, complex questions pertaining to health plan quality. Based on this information, health plans are ranked in applicable categories and national benchmarks are established. This year, the NBCH/eValue8 report compared 102 health plans including HealthPartners, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota and Medica.

This ranking is further proof that the plan you have with HealthPartners is delivering quality health care and administrative excellence at cost-effective prices. eValue8 provides that evidence through its annual search for the most innovative, highest quality health insurance plan.

HealthPartners set the PPO national benchmark in six of seven categories and the HMO national benchmark in four of seven categories essential to delivering high quality care.

HealthPartners leads the nation in establishing national benchmarks in six key areas:

1. Provider Measurement
   HealthPartners is an industry leader in implementing provider measurement for both the quality and cost of care. These transparent ratings are shared with our members to help them make informed health care decisions.

2. Prevention and Health Promotion
   From a scientifically validated health assessment to individualized phone courses and benefit plans that provide incentives for employees to work towards better health, HealthPartners leads the way in innovative programming to help our members get healthier.

3. Pharmaceutical Management
   Our generic utilization exceeds the national average at 68 percent with an average savings of almost $150 per prescription. Every one percent increase in generic utilization cuts prescription costs by $7 million. Plus, HealthPartners innovative clinical programs, Mail Order Pharmacy, tablet-splitting program and generic alternative notifications maximize the efficiency and safety of the pharmacy program.

4. Consumer Engagement
   HealthPartners is committed to making our members smarter consumers of health care, and that means we surround our members with the resources and support they need. Whether it’s 24/7 access to trained member advocates through our phone lines, the comprehensive set of consumer tools at healthpartners.com or our quarterly member newsletter HealthPartners Today, our members get the information they need to get healthy, manage their health plan benefits and become knowledgeable consumers of health care.

5. Chronic Disease Management
   Over 100,000 HealthPartners members participated in disease management programs last year alone, saving $17 million in expenses. These programs yield impressive health improvement results, more positive member experiences and control costs.

6. Behavioral Health
   Proprietary processes, programs and proactive outreach identify members with behavioral health needs and provide them with the support they need. These programs have been proven to increase adherence to medication and decrease visits to the emergency room for behavioral health conditions.

Using eValue8, it is possible to compare health plans and understand which are providing the best value. Learn more about eValue8 and all that HealthPartners has to offer.

For the third consecutive year, HealthPartners has been named the top health plan in Minnesota and is among the top 50 best health plans in the nation according to the 2007 U.S. News & World Report/NCQA America’s Best Health Plans issue.

Nationally, HealthPartners commercial plan ranked 38th of 314 plans (up from 44th last year) and HealthPartners Medicare plan ranked 33rd of 195 plans (up from 36th last year). While HealthPartners commercial and Medicare plans were also ranked in the top 50 health plans in the 2006 and 2005 reports, this is HealthPartners strongest position to date.

Since HealthPartners is the only Minnesota plan in the top 50 nationally, it was the only Minnesota plan featured in the magazine. This issue compares the quality of care and customer satisfaction among 700 commercial, Medicare and Medicaid plans from across the nation.

HealthPartners scored in the top 25 percent nationally in the following evaluation areas (based on CAHPS and HEDIS scores):

Clinical measures

• Cancer screening for breast, colorectal and cervical cancer
• Heart disease treatment: beta blocker treatment, blood pressure control and cholesterol management
• Diabetes care: eye exams, cholesterol control, blood sugar testing and control
• Immunizations for children
• Depression medication management
• Low back pain: appropriate diagnostic imaging

Member satisfaction

• Getting access to care
• Overall experience with the health plan
• Rating of the health plan’s doctor

NCQA and U.S. News & World Report collaborate to rank the nation’s commercial, Medicare and Medicaid health plans based on clinical quality, member satisfaction and NCQA Accreditation scores. The 2007 America’s Best Health Plans report is available at usnews.com.

Your employees may be able to split their prescription bill in half with HealthPartners pill-splitting program. With this program, members save when they split higher strength pills into the prescribed dose. So, instead of 30 lower strength tablets, they receive 30 tablets with twice the strength to last for 60 doses -- all for one copay or coinsurance! Members save because the cost per pill for the higher strength is about the same as the lower strength.

Members can fill their prescription as normal – all they need to do is tell the pharmacist that they would like to take advantage of HealthPartners Half-Tablet Advantage Program. No doctor intervention is required!

Medications on the Half-Tablet Advantage Program Drug List have been carefully chosen based on their wide therapeutic margin (slight differences in the daily doses of these medications make very little therapeutic difference), tablet characteristics and ingredient costs.

HealthPartners Half-Tablet Advantage Program Drug List includes:

• Cholesterol medications: atorvastatin (Lipitor) and simvastatin (Zocor)
• Antidepressants: sertraline (Zoloft), escitalopram (Lexapro), paroxetine (Paxil, generic)

If a medication is eligible for this program, it is also noted next to the medication name on the Preferred Drug List (Formulary) at healthpartners.com/formulary. Participation in the Half-Tablet Advantage Program is completely voluntary.

Learn more about the Half-Tablet Advantage Program.

A ground-breaking initiative designed to change the way Minnesotans receive treatment for depression has caught the attention of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). NIMH has awarded HealthPartners Research Foundation a $3 million grant to study the initiative, which is being led by the Minnesota's Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI).

This grant is being referred to as the DIAMOND (for Depression Improvement Across Minnesota, Offering a New Direction) initiative. ICSI is working with Minnesota's primary care medical groups and health plans to design new depression care techniques and reimbursement models to improve depression care.

Components of the new program include:

1. The use of a standard assessment tool to improve the diagnosis and management of depression.
2. The addition of a clinic-based care manager to the patient's treatment care team to provide education, monitoring and guidance between visits.
3. A tracking system to monitor follow-up care and treatment effectiveness.

The DIAMOND depression care model will be implemented in 16 primary care medical clinics across the state beginning in the spring of 2008. This model is expected to spread to more primary care clinics in the next three years.
 
Self insured employers may be contacted by HealthPartners health plan with additional information regarding DIAMOND. HealthPartners fully insured members will be offered the DIAMOND program when it is adopted by their primary care clinic.

HealthPartners will be assessing aspects of the DIAMOND initiative on an ongoing basis. The HealthPartners’ Research Foundation’s study will run for five years with preliminary results assessed midway through the study. DIAMOND is expected to serve as a national model for major improvements in depression care.

Learn more about the HealthPartners depression care.

If you already offer a HealthPartners dental plan to your employees, you’ve made an excellent choice. If you aren’t currently offering a HealthPartners dental plan, maybe it’s time to reconsider. Two compelling reasons include the largest regional dental network and discounts that extend through our entire network.

The HealthPartners dental PPO network of 1,750 dentists is the largest in the region. It includes 80 percent of all metro-area dentists and nearly 60 percent of all Minnesota dentists. In fact, this network is 50 percent larger than the network used by Guardian, Principal and Assurant, and 30 percent larger than the Delta PPO network.

Another advantage to HealthPartners dental is discounts that extend to both general practice dentists and all of our specialists.  Our network includes more than 1,400 general dentists offering 15-18 percent average discounts and 350 specialists with 10-12 percent average discounts.  We encourage you to ask your broker or consultant about discounts offered by our competitors. You might be surprised to discover that many only have discounts with general practice dentists.

These two factors combined give your employees better access to care at a fair price. If you’d like more information about HealthPartners dental plans or networks, please contact your HealthPartners sales executive or broker.

“For Your Health” is a series of useful and consumer-friendly articles on health topics of interest to employees and their families. And it’s free for you to use. Please feel free to share this content with your employees via e-mail, newsletters or any method you prefer.   

Fall brings the cold and flu season!  HealthPartners is here to help you get healthy and stay healthy throughout the season. Here are some common questions, answers and resources for your reference this flu season.

Why get vaccinated for the flu?
Vaccination is the best strategy for preventing the flu. The vaccine changes each year because the flu strains change each year. If you hate needles, there’s no need to worry, you can choose from the flu shot or the nasal spray (FluMist).

Who should get the flu shot?
It is a good idea for everyone who wishes to reduce the likelihood of becoming ill with influenza or of transmitting influenza to others to be vaccinated for the flu. Those especially susceptible to the flu include:

• People 50 years of age and older
• Children aged 6 months to five years of age
• Pregnant women
• People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
• People who live or work in nursing homes and other institutional facilities

How can I prevent the flu?
To prevent the flu or stop it from spreading further, try these suggestions:

• Stay home when you are ill
• Cover your cough or sneeze
• Wash your hands
• Get vaccinated
• Do not share eating utensils, drinking glasses, towels or other personal items

What is the easiest way to get a flu shot?
The easiest way to get a flu vaccine is by contacting your primary care provider to schedule an appointment. For a list of HealthPartners Clinics that offer a flu vaccine without an appointment, visit healthpartners.com.  Don’t wait – get your flu shot today!

Learn more at:

• Minnesota MDH Flu Page
• Minnesota Antibiotic Resistance Collaborative (MARC)
• CDC Flu Site
• CDC Antimicrobial Resistance Site